Endoscopy is a technology that allows minimally-invasive viewing of internal features of a body. In medicine, endoscopy allows acquisition of high-quality images of internal features of a human body without the need for invasive surgery. The basic tool of endoscopy is the endoscope (“scope”), which is inserted into the body to be viewed. Some endoscopic procedures involve the use of a flexible scope, as in the medical field of gastroenterology, for example. Other medical procedures, such as arthroscopy or laparoscopy, use a rigid scope. The scope is normally coupled to a high-intensity light source that transmits light into the body through the scope, and to a camera head that includes electronics for acquiring video image data. The camera head is typically coupled to a video monitor, which displays video images acquired by the camera.
In endoscopic surgery, various other medical devices may be used, such as an insufflator to pump pressurized gas into body cavities to create more space for viewing and working, an electrocautery tool to stop bleeding, and/or various tools to cut or shape body tissues. These devices are typically controlled remotely by means such as foot pedals and/or switches placed on the floor of the operating room, which are operated by the surgeon. The foot controls may control functions such as on/off, speed or intensity, direction of movement of the tool, mode of operation, etc. The use of foot controls and the like allows the surgeon to adjust various modes and settings of the tools (e.g., speed, intensity) himself, without having to put a tool down, change hands, touch potentially contaminated surfaces with his hands, or take his eyes off the patient.
First generation foot pedals and other types of remote controls typically functioned by relaying command signals, in the form of electrical impulses, over a conductive line or cable that physically connected the remote control to the device being controlled. As technology advanced, the remote controls became wireless, thereby allowing a remote control to be located anywhere within the operating room without having to run a cable along the floor.
Although the use of wireless remote controls within a medical environment, such as an operating room, is advantageous, it also introduces additional variables and risks that could ultimately endanger a patient. For instance, stray electromagnetic signals from other devices within the vicinity give rise to the risk of a controlled device improperly responding even though a command was never issued by the remote control. More importantly, in a given clinical environment, multiple wireless remote controls may be used in close proximity to each other, thereby introducing the risk of a receiver unit responding to control signals from the wrong remote control.